A deadly attack on the Chechen capital Grozny has left at least 16 people dead.
Gunmen breached heavy security in the fortified town, driving and firing at a police checkpoint, a school and a publishing house, reported the BBC.
Video footage showed the publishing house in flames and there were heavy clashes before the gunmen were killed, with nine of the dead thought to be militants.
Chechnya's Russian-backed controversial president, Ramzan Kadyrov said none of the attackers escaped.
"Not one bandit managed to get out. I directly ran the operation myself," he said.
A militant group said it launched the suicide attack in response to attacks by security forces on Muslim women.